This week was all about making our own level 1 and putting it into the game, with original art for the character sprites. By this point in our project, Alex and I have reached the place where we can work independently of one another on our own aspects of the game and combine our work once we have completed. So this week, Alex worked on creating animations for the protagonist, an enemy character, and a collectible sequin which the protagonist will pick up and use to purchase upgrades (we think). My task was designing the first level.
In order to do this, I first needed a tileset. After finding one online that suited our purposes, I had to compile it into a tilesheet, since for some reason our engine (MelonJS) didn't want to work with the series of images I had downloaded from the internet. So, I began hunting for applications that could do that. I went through many that probably did work, but I just couldn't figure out. Finally, I came across a YouTube video literally illustrating, step by step, how to create one of these. The only problem was that it used a program which cost $9. A small price to pay, I thought, for the completion of such a worthy and promising video game.
After tediously creating the tilesheet, I was finally able to create a level using our own tileset. I was pretty stoked. Now came the task of determining how to structure the first level. I figured that since we needed to teach the player the basic mechanics of the game, I would segment the level (with pillars) in an attempt to slowly introduce the player to different controls. Initially, I would have a platform to jump on, followed by a pillar to jump over, and another one. This would slowly introduce the player to jumping, allowing them to face the next challenge: enemies. If the player was not comfortable jumping, he or she could definitely not jump while fighting enemies, so I wait until the player has been jumping for a while. I introduce enemies slowly as well, familiarizing the player with them in increments. However, it would probably be best if you just played it yourself! We'll post it on our game's domain soon!
http://frobotgame.com/
Friday, February 26, 2016
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It's so interesting to read all the steps that go into creating even the smallest aspects of your game. You're progress is incredibly impressive.
ReplyDeleteI really like the game so far! I got a score of 4750. Could you change the white spike (that lets players go to the next level) to a door? I thought it was a level hazard until I tried jumping on it.
ReplyDeleteLooks good. I can only get to level two. I'm assuming there are only two levels so far?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a productive week Kyle! What kind of upgrades will the protagonist be able to purchase?
ReplyDeleteI am having a lot of fun with your game, especially once I learned how to jump! What video games are you mostly using as your inspiration?
ReplyDeleteWonderful work here - loving the level design and the thought going into it thus far. I appreciate the jumping puzzles, and trying to figure out how to move the character. I'm wondering a few things about the game thus far:
ReplyDelete1) I remember in your proposal that you were working on what defines a 'good' game - how much farther have you come in that definition? It seems like, from this post, you're affirming that an accessible learning curve characterized by low initial challenge is key - yet the success of games like Flappy Bird or the more advanced Dark Souls franchise would suggest that players also gravitate towards games with a steep (almost punishingly so) learning curves.
2) In business, there is a principle called the 'Hedgehog Concept' which suggests that any viable product must fill a niche by doing what it does uniquely and better than anyone else is the market. I'm wondering what unique properties your game will contain when all is said and done - i.e., what will set Frobot apart from the millions of other games currently on market?
3) I'm also wondering about the training aspects of level one - have you considered putting information on screen regarding the movement keys and the action keys? If someone hadn't previously played a web-based game, they might not know (intuit) to push the spacebar in order to jump.
4) Have you considered any in-game-text to set-up your detailed storyline? I.e., explaining to the player why they are a frobot, or why they need sequins?
5) What other tilesets did you try and why didn't these work? What was different about the $9 tileset that allowed its smooth integration with your engine?
6) Finally, what other options did you consider for an opening level and why were these discarded? This question potentially piggybacks on the other question about learning curves.
Again, I'm blown-away by your progress already - can't believe it's only week three. The playability and engaging nature of the game are already so strong - I look forward to the developments in the coming month!